File Explorer in Windows usually only displays a few columns such as name, date, and type. But many of us want more information to show up there. Thankfully, Windows Explorer doesn’t just limit us to the initial columns because we can add more columns from the available list.
Recently, I wanted to have a size column for all the images in File Explorer. Although I was able to do it for the current directory, when I change the directory the size column does not appear. That is, adding a column to a folder in Windows does not add it to all folders by default.
Are you also facing the same problem? Do not worry. We will show you how to add a column to every folder in Windows 10 File Explorer.
This method involves two steps — adding a column and making it permanent. Here are the detailed steps. Also, check out the bonus tips at the end.
1. Add a new column
First, we need to add a column that we want to display in every folder. To do so, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the folder where you want to add a new column.
Step 2: Go to the View tab and click Add Column. Select a new column (if available) or click Select column to see the entire list.
Alternatively, right-click any column header in Explorer and select the item you want to display from the menu. If the item doesn’t show up in the menu, click More to see all the items, then press Ok. The new column will appear immediately.
Tip:
2. Create a fixed column
To display the new column in all folders, follow these steps:
Step 1: In the same folder where you added a new column, click the View option in the top bar. In View, click Options.
Note:
Step 2: In the Window that appears, open the View tab and click Apply to Folders. A dialog box will appear asking you to confirm. Click OK.
Close all open Windows File Explorer and then relaunch them to reflect the change. You will see new columns present in most folders. But if some folders don’t have them, don’t worry. Here’s how to fix it.
Folder not showing new column
The problem is that Windows automatically optimizes different types of folders according to the data in them. If a folder has only images, it will be under images and similarly, a folder with audio files will be categorized as music.
Windows has five categories: documents, videos, pictures, music, and general. The last one includes all other files. It can have subfolders, videos, music, pictures, etc.
So when you use the ‘Apply to folder’ setting in the step above, it will be applied to all folders of the same type. For instance, if you’re in a folder with only images, any folder with images will have your new columns. But the other folders are not. So to change that behavior, follow these two methods.
1. Add new column to all directory categories
Basically you need to apply the new column to all the folder types. Let’s understand it this way. I added the size column to a folder with subfolders and images. The home directory belongs to the general category. So all similar or common folders will show the size column. But folders with only images will not show the size column.
Therefore, we need to manually apply the change to the images folder. For that, open any folder with images only. Then repeat the above two steps to add the column and make it a permanent column. That way, any folder containing only pictures will show the size.
2. Change the folder type manually
Alternatively, you can manually optimize folders. For that, open the folder where you want to add new columns and right click on it. Select Properties.
In the pop-up window, go to the Customize tab. Choose your preferred folder type (documents, videos, photos, music and general) under ‘Optimize this folder for.’ Use the same folder type where you originally added the new columns. Also, check the box next to ‘Also Apply this template, this template to all subfolders.’
Bonus Tip 1: Show File Extensions
Many times, we try to open a file in the wrong application because we don’t know its file type. To avoid that, you can display the extension next to the filename along with the title and tag.
For that, open any folder and click the View tab at the top. Then check the box next to File name extension.
If the Filename Extensions item is missing from the toolbar, click Options present in the View tab.
You will be taken to Folder Options. Go to the View tab. Then scroll down under Advanced settings and uncheck Hide extensions for known file types.
Extra Tip 2: Grouping Column
A fun way to display data is to group it. For example, if you group by size, all files of similar size will be present in one group. Windows creates groups according to available information.
To enable this feature, go to the View option on the toolbar. Then click Group By and choose your preferences.
Discover change
I hope you can add new columns to all folders using the above mentioned methods. Adding new columns helps identify information at a glance. You don’t need to open the file and see its properties, thus saving us time.
Next up: Did you know Windows 10 now supports dark mode for File Explorer? Check how to turn it on and troubleshoot if it doesn’t work.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
